Barak Chaim Ben Valid

From Rishon LeZion.

Firstborn son of Yaffa and Avi, brother to Noam and Eilon. Husband of Anna and father of Noga, age 3.5.

He was born and raised in Be’er Sheva and studied at Amal Makif Z High School in the communications track. Barak enlisted in the Givati Reconnaissance Battalion, where he completed his combat training and squad commanders course. He deeply loved the unit and the people who over the years became his close friends.

After his military service he worked at Ben Gurion Airport in the VIP unit, lived in Tel Aviv, and completed a degree in economics at Tel Aviv University. At the airport he met his wife Anna. They later moved to Rishon LeZion and married in 2019. During the last three years of his life he worked as an analyst at Teva and was highly valued.

Barak loved traveling בארץ and abroad, surfing, and playing and watching basketball. He had many good friends, some since childhood. He was knowledgeable, inquisitive, and curious, with many interests and deep friendships. He loved life and made the most of every moment. He possessed many fine qualities, most notably wisdom of the heart. He was especially sensitive to others, full of love for people, honest and principled, with humor and playfulness.

Barak was called to reserve duty on October 7, 2023, when the Hamas attack on Israel began. On January 22, 2024, 12 Shevat 5784, he was killed in central Gaza during a mission to create a buffer zone between the border communities and nearby Gaza neighborhoods, together with four teammates.

He was killed in what became known as the “building disaster.” Beyond the tragedy, it was part of an ongoing and important operation to create a protective buffer. As part of the Givati engineering reconnaissance team, they were tasked with demolishing structures using explosives. An RPG missile struck, collapsing the buildings on them along with the explosives. Sixteen additional soldiers who were securing the site were also killed.

Barak had a rare collection of outstanding traits. When a person passes, their good deeds and character remain. If each person adopts something from them, it carries their legacy forward.

His first defining principle was summed up in his phrase: “Be sharp and relaxed.” He was thorough and goal oriented in everything he did, treating every task as a life mission and giving 100 percent. As a teenager, while friends went out clubbing, he stayed home absorbed in economics books. His commander said Barak would not leave a mission before patiently checking every wire again and again. Colleagues said his business analyses were among the finest written. Alongside this, he taught that after doing everything properly, you should release tension and stay smiling. In videos sent before missions in Gaza, he is seen holding his rifle like a guitar and singing loudly. He believed that after full effort, you can be relaxed.

The second standout trait was humility. Despite being talented and successful, he remained modest and avoided the spotlight. He had no Facebook or Instagram and valued privacy. Over the years, his family discovered excellence certificates from many stages of his life, often learned about only from others. At the end of his Givati track he was named outstanding trainee, surprising even his family.

His third defining trait was described by a childhood friend: “With your good eyes, there was no person you did not truly see.” Many spoke of his kind eyes. Barak noticed especially those who needed someone to see them. Stories were told of the shy friend he embraced, the lone soldier he taught Hebrew and hosted for Shabbat meals, new coworkers he mentored patiently, friends he supported through illness, and people he made sure felt included and valued.

Barak saw everyone, reached out, and drew them into the circle of belonging, or stepped outside it with them if needed. He brought light into the world through kindness, and his family hopes that light will live on through all those he touched.

He was 33 when he fell.

May his memory be a blessing.